BOB Katter shouldn't hold his breath waiting for an invitation to his brother Carl's wedding, should such an event occur.

Only a week ago the big-hatted Queensland MP told a rally of Christians and family advocates in Canberra that the very idea of gay marriage ''deserves to be laughed at and ridiculed - it doesn't deserve any serious treatment''.

His brother Carl last night burst on to the nation's television screens to announce that, as it happened, he was homosexual - and if he met a man he'd like to spend his life with, he'd hope to marry him.

As to his big brother's views, they were ''hurtful, dangerous, damaging and really inappropriate'' and amounted to the ''perpetuation of hatred''.

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Though Carl Katter didn't think his elder brother would come to any wedding he might have, there were a lot of people he'd rather invite anyway.

Asked what he thought Katter the Politician might think about his public declaration, Katter the Gay said: ''I don't know and I don't really care.''

Bob Katter who said the idea of gay marriage deserved to be "ridiculed".

Carl Katter, 33, lives in Melbourne, but was brought up in Mount Isa, deep in his brother's electorate of Kennedy.

He made clear it was a desolate experience, and told George Negus on his Ten Network 6.30 program that like a lot of other young gay people in regional Australia, he never had anyone to turn to, and had to put up with people calling him ''a poofter and a faggot''.

In 1989, when young Carl was still living in Mount Isa, Bob Katter famously declared he would ''walk to Bourke backwards if the poof population of North Queensland is any more than 0.001 per cent''.

''He doesn't seem to represent his community,'' Katter the Younger said of his politician brother. ''There are a lot of gay people in his community.''

Carl and Bob Katter are half brothers, sharing the same father (and a Christian name - Bob's full name is Robert Carl Katter, the Carl honouring their grandfather), but Carl Katter's TV appearance left little doubt that's about all they share now.

Attempts to contact Bob Katter failed last night. A message on his mobile phone advised that it was turned off.

The Katter brothers' public revelation of their private differences came as the Federal Parliament prepared to hear from MPs about their constituents' view on same-sex marriage.

Twenty-two MPs from all sides are listed to speak on the subject today, although neither Prime Minister Julia Gillard nor Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is listed.

The Greens' Adam Bandt moved successfully last year to require MPs to consult their electorates on attitudes to gay marriage.

Views appear to be widely disparate.

Mr Bandt will tell Parliament that marriage equality was one of the top priority issues for respondents to a survey he carried out in his electorate of Melbourne.

Of the 475 people who responded to the survey, only one respondent expressed opposition to same-sex marriage.

However, Queensland National Paul Neville will report that his constituents were overwhelmingly opposed.

''The question in my survey was not loaded, and even though my electorate [Hinkler] is fairly conservative, I was actually surprised just how overwhelming the opposition to same-sex marriage was,'' Mr Neville said.

Ms Gillard last night met a small group of leading same-sex marriage advocates, including the former head of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Kerryn Phelps, and her partner, Jackie Stricker.

Dr Phelps noted that Ms Gillard had said her opposition to gay marriage was on the public record.

''I think this will be one of the top political issues this year and I very much hope the Prime Minister's views will evolve,'' Dr Phelps said.

115 comments

First off, how is this news? Is the age going to run a story for everyone's opinion out there?

Secondly, have you noticed how the age managed to find the most unatractive images possible?

Finally - THERE ARE SO MANY MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES OUT THERE!

Sure, i believe that everyone should have the same rights, but keep the word 'marriage' for male / female couples, and use a different word for everyone else.

Can i get married to the guy i have been in love with for the last 3 years? no, because i (as a gay man) believe that the word should stay with traditional couples, and we should get something else.

I am ok to compromise, is anyone else?

Commenter

wsDK_II

Location

melbourne

Date and time

August 24, 2011, 7:13AM

I say pop them into a pit of mud and let them duke it out without shirts. My money's on Carl!! Go Carl!!!!

Commenter

No need for a Katter-fight

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

August 24, 2011, 7:14AM

To all those who will inevitably get on here to say how much they dislike the idea of gay marriage: Don't get one. Now, how hard is that?

Commenter

Luke

Location

Melb

Date and time

August 24, 2011, 7:15AM

This story smacks of desperation in pushing the gay marriage agenda.

He's gay...big deal.

He's Bob Katter's (half) brother...big deal.

Commenter

Margaret Gray

Date and time

August 24, 2011, 7:22AM

I know little and care less about Bob Katter's relationship to his half brother. But I'm puzzled. I realise that politicians would sacrifice just about anything for election. But to come out and front a rally making derogatory remarks about people, one of whom is your own blood- that's disturbing. Are we expected to believe that Bob Katter was completely unaware of the struggle his brother had to endure growing up? That he didn't know at all? And are we expected to believe that he was so dumb that he didn't anticipate the possibility that his half brother would make the knowledge public?

Man- talk about not knowing when to keep your gob shut...

Commenter

David

Location

Leongatha

Date and time

August 24, 2011, 7:25AM

There is a lot to like about Bob Katter, and some things that are weird. We all have skeletons in our cupboards, as it seems Bob has fallen into Tony Abbott's trap. We can't be all things to all people. The problem I have is "Christian" audiences lapping up Bob opinions on Gay Marriage. Christians, nor the other Abrahamic faiths [Jews and Muslims] don't own marriage and other people's feelings.Being Christian to me means upholding Christian values, not preaching line and verse from the Jewish section of the bible that was written 2,500 years ago and amended many times as the people saw fit.They are not in a position to frame the purpose of marriage in a modern society.BTW I am straight, and have a Lesbian daughter.

Commenter

rocket surgeon

Location

Gold Coast

Date and time

August 24, 2011, 7:33AM

Good on Carl Katter for coming out and hopefully Bob Katter will be man enough to reexamine his views as a lot of people do when they discover a family member is gay.

Commenter

StBob

Location

TheUnfriendlySkies

Date and time

August 24, 2011, 7:42AM

What is the interest of the State in gay marriage? Remember for a gay couple to have a child they must go outside the "exclusivity and fidelity" of a marriage contract to achieve the objective which is contrary to the very definition of a marriage even in civil/secular terms. The child will have the genes of only one of the couple.

Commenter

The Beak

Date and time

August 24, 2011, 8:36AM

wsDK_II: That old tripe about marriage being between a man and a woman is one seriously unchallenged, uncritical assumption used to mask, with good ol' fashioned values, the homophobia of those who claim it. Such good ol' fashioned values are also usually unchallenged and uncritical and often take no account of the fact that the values in any community are never static. Also, I don't think there is a good photo of Bob Katter.